People need a friend to help beat dementia

A MAJOR campaign has been launched to educate people in Burton about how they can help those with dementia.

Public Health England (PHE) and the Alzheimer’s Society have joined forces to create the Dementia Friends initiative in a bid to show people that everyone has a part to play to helping those who suffer from the condition.

Becoming a Dementia Friend means learning a few useful tips to help make life better for those living with dementia.

Paul Sanderson, PHE West Midlands dementia champion, said: “Becoming a Dementia Friend involves finding out more about what dementia is and the small things you can do to make a big difference to a person living with the condition.

“People can live well with dementia – it just takes a little love and care from those around them.

“We can all do something to support them by signing up to become a Dementia Friend.

“PHE West Midlands is supporting the Dementia Friends movement by providing information sessions for all our staff.

“Other public, voluntary and private sector organisations can commit to supporting their staff to become a Dementia Friend, either by attending a public information session or by supporting someone to train as a Dementia Champion and delivering information sessions in-house.”

Paul Dunnery, Alzheimer’s Society operations director for central England, said: “People with dementia sometimes need a helping hand to go about their daily lives and feel included in their community.

“Dementia Friends is about turning understanding into action, from helping someone to find the right bus to spreading the word about dementia on social media – every action counts.”